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Guest blog: Get ready to catch the wave
The hype about mobile commerce continues to grow, but year on year we’re disappointed by the anticlimactic results. Why is this year any different? Sam Saltis believes this time it really is “the year of the mobile.”
Why is 2010 going to be big for mobile? Well, for starters, smartphone adoption was through the roof last year – just take a look around your office to count the number of app-laden iPhones – and don’t think the corporate world didn’t take notice. Many made their mark in mobile commerce last year, but the stakes were high, and those that got it right were few and far between. Mobile blunders of 2009 were those that left little space to breathe, showcased counterintuitive, clumsy navigation and poor design.
2010 will see improved usability and functionality, and a stronger focus on the user experience. Advanced web analytics packages are already capturing statistics 
surrounding mobile usage, and they’re only going to get better, with a notable shift away from traditional metrics towards greater use of user engagement measurements such as ratings and reviews and hash tag and name searches. Greater availability of WiFi, enhanced virtualisation technology, new wireless species (tablets), improved mobile applications and innovative use of GPS will set the stage for mobile marketing to really take off. Finally, looking at the infrastructure requirements, networks are getting faster (4G) and we’re now getting to the stage where economies of scale will bring down the cost of data, accelerating the proliferation of mobile web into the mainstream market.
Other key technological developments will allow users to engage and interact with organisations and the environment through the mobile web to a much greater extent. Interesting sites so far include Foursquare and Google Latitude.
As with any new technology, adoption must reach critical mass before reaching mainstream. You may have been disillusioned in years gone by, but mobile commerce is set to be fierce this year, and if you haven’t already incorporated mobile into your online strategy, you should. Now is the time to capture market share and strengthen brand loyalty. Get in there, and get in quick, but stay user-focused and be sure to provide a positive online experience.
- Sam Saltis is the founding and managing director of bwired. Sam is also a member of Melbourne’s Entrepreneurs’ Organisation, a dynamic, global network of more than 7,300 business owners in 42 countries. Contact: sam@bwired.com.au
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